BICOM

Iran’s President harshly criticised Saudi Arabia’s role in Lebanese politics as “unprecedented” as the crisis over the resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri continues.

According to Iran’s Press TV, President Hassan Rouhani told his Cabinet on Wednesday that: “There is no case in history that a country forces another one’s authority to resign only to interfere with their internal affairs.  This is an unprecedented event in history.”

Rouhani added that it is a “strategic mistake and a miscalculation” for Saudi Arabia to opt for friendship with the US and Israel and avoid Iran as a friend.

On Tuesday the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, accused Iran of “direct military aggression” by supplying missiles to Houthi rebels in Yemen. Saudi Arabia said on Saturday that it had intercepted a missile fired from Yemen aimed at Riyadh’s international airport.

Iran has formally protested to the UN Security Council about the Saudi accusations of the missile attack and threats to retaliate militarily, saying they were based on “unfounded assumptions”.

The White House released a statement yesterday in support of Saudi Arabia following the missile attack from Yemen. The statement said: “The United States welcomes the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s statement exposing the Iranian regime’s support for Houthi militias, including the supply of illegal arms such as ballistic missiles. We condemn the Iranian regime’s activities and stand with Saudi Arabia and all our Gulf partners against the Iranian regime’s aggression and blatant violations of international law.”

Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun’s office still consider Hariri to be Lebanon’s Prime Minister as he did not resign in person, but rather from a foreign country. Yesterday, Hariri travelled to the United Arab Emirates, reportedly to generate support from regional allies and counter accusations that he was being held against his will in Saudi Arabia.

A leaked memo, released by Channel 10 News, from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that “Hariri’s resignation and his comments on the reasons that led him to resign illustrate yet again the destructive character of Iran and Hezbollah and their danger to Lebanon’s stability and the countries in the region”.